Kosher Wines - Passover 2008

In our home we enjoy diverse cultural roots and celebrate many holidays. Hey were  just party people.

Passover is a favorite festival with its rich traditions and great feasting pleasures.

Wine is always a happy component and I look to bring some good ones to the table each year.

Here are some that I am looking at for 2008.

Amanti Vino has a small but very well selected list of Kosher wines this year. You can always count on Sharon on offering the best. Here are my top three picks.

High End Covenant Cabernet Sauvignon

Pricey at 99.00 a bottle but you sure will impress your friends, and look at that label. what a work of art. The Wine Advocate says "Covenant may be the finest kosher wine made in the United States." The Wine Spectator said "A rich, exotic, distinctive style, with aromas of ripe currant, plum and blackberry along with an intriguing new shoe leather aroma that plays in the background. Shows a measure of finesse and polish on the finish, with ripe, integrated tannins. An impressive debut.  92 points

Midrange

Barkan Altitude 624 Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 45.99

It is called 624 because it is grown in a high altitude vineyard at Moshav Alma (624 meters above sea level) in the Upper Galilee to achieve its intense body and taste, solid tannic structure, and elegant finish. Oak-aged for 15 months, the sweetness of raspberries and black cherries, Oriental spices, as well as vanilla and cinnamon, provide a tantalizing sensory experience. Sounds delicious right.

Segal's Fusion Red Wine 2005 16.99

60% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Segal's Fusion has been created by a forward thinking winemaker Avi Feldstein, to produce a young, easy to drink wine for today's fast paced and informal lifestyle. This special blend of carefully selected grapes and high-tech process of micro-oxygenation has resulted in a very round wine with exotic spiciness and plenty of fruit.

Shopper's Vineyard

Keeping with my current obsession with Australian Shiraz I will surely be pouring this Margret River wine, Beckett's Flat Shiraz, 18.99

Deep ruby black color. Red and black berry aromas with a nice touch of pepper and acetone. A round entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to full-bodied palate with ripe raspberry, cherry, and blackberry flavors with a nice touch of brown spices. Finishes with a long fruit, pepper, and mineral flavors. (tasted on Aug-23-2006)

It has won more awards than any other Kosher wine I know:

Awards

Wine Enthusiast  87 Points    
Juicy, ripe and fun, with plenty of upfront raspberry, strawberry, cherry, toast and vanilla notes. Soft tannins and moderate acidity make it easy to drink. Clean and fresh at the end. April 2004

Wine Enthusiast  87 Points    
"The palate delivers typical raspberry and cherry flavors, while both the finish and mouth feel are simple but positive." April 2003

International Eastern Wine Competition-Silver Medal  June 2003
Taster's Guild-Silver Medal  June 2003 Gold Medal  April 2006, August 2005 
International Eastern Wine Competition-Silver Medal June 2003
Indy International-Bronze medal  June 2003  Bronze medal July 2006
Beverage Testing Institute Silver Medal December 2005 Silver Medal August 2006
New World International Wine Competition-Bronze medal March 2006

A Kosher Italian Chianti I seem to buy year after year is Toscaleoni Chianti 17.99. It is a great Italian wine that our guests or hosts have always enjoyed. I don't think I will be buying it this year, but have enjoyed it in the past.

I plan to add to this post soon.